What the standard defines
Category 6A is the grade above Category 6 in the ANSI/TIA 568 series; ISO/IEC 11801 calls the equivalent Class EA. Its transmission limits are specified across a frequency range up to 500 MHz, twice as far as Category 6.
The substantive addition is alien crosstalk. Earlier categories specified how much the pairs inside one cable interfere with each other, and said nothing about how much a cable interferes with its neighbours in a bundle or a tray. At the frequencies a ten-gigabit copper link uses, that neighbour coupling is what limits reach, and Category 6A specifies it. That is why a Category 6A channel is qualified for ten-gigabit operation over the full hundred metres and a Category 6 channel is not.
Category 6A exists in shielded constructions and in unshielded ones. Both are the same grade; they get there differently. The cable is also physically larger than Category 6 — greater outside diameter, greater minimum bend radius — which changes how much of it fits in a length of trunking and how much room is needed behind a patch panel.
What it does not promise
It does not promise a rate. A Category 6A channel carries ten gigabits when there is a ten-gigabit interface at both ends; with gigabit switches on it, it carries a gigabit and the extra headroom sits unused.
It does not promise that a shielded cable is the better choice. A screen works when it is continuous from end to end and bonded to earth, which requires shielded modules, a shielded panel and an earthing path. Terminated onto unshielded outlets, the screen is disconnected metal.
It does not rescue poor workmanship. Untwisting more of a pair than the module allows, or overtightening a cable tie, will fail a channel built entirely from Category 6A parts.
It does not name a power class. The cabling standards do set limits on direct-current resistance and on its unbalance between conductors, which is part of what makes a channel suitable for the higher power types — but the type that will be delivered is named by the switch or the injector, not by the cable.
What it works alongside
The connector is the same eight-position modular one, so a Category 6A channel takes a gigabit link, a two-and-a-half or five-gigabit link, and a ten-gigabit link without any change to the outlets. Mixed with lower-grade components it grades down to them, which is the usual reason a channel built from good cable measures worse than expected. Above it sits Category 8, over a channel a fraction of the length.
The questions that come up before an order
Does Category 6A cabling mean a ten-gigabit connection?
It means the channel is specified to carry one. Whether a connection runs at that rate depends on the equipment at both ends supporting ten-gigabit operation over copper; the cabling grade is a ceiling, never a negotiation.
Is shielded Category 6A better than unshielded?
Both are Category 6A if the finished channel meets the limits. A screen has to be continuous and bonded at the ends, through shielded modules and an earthed panel, to do its job — fitted halfway, it adds diameter and stiffness without the benefit.
Last reviewed 9 September 2026